1. Field of Application
This invention relates to clamps and clamping mechanisms; and, more particularly, to clamping mechanisms for securely positioning a device, such as a medical device, to an injured person carrier, such as a litter, stretcher, or the like, that is to be transported, possibly, if by air wherein there may be erratic movements of the aircraft, or, if by land, wherein the terrain may produce erratic movements of the land transport.
2. Description of the Prior Art
At times, especially during armed conflicts or terrorism, people are injured. Such injuries may be quite serious and require the injured person to be placed on a stretcher, litter or like injured person carrier and transported by ambulance, helicopter or other suitable and appropriate transporter to a medical treatment facility.
Sometimes a medical device is required for the injured person while being transported to a medical treatment facility. Such medical devices could include oxygen tanks, infusing devices for blood and other infusates, devices for warming the blood or other infustate, power supplies for medical uses and devices, and the like. Keeping such medical devices close to the injured person is often accomplished by somehow associating the medical device and injured patient carrier. To facilitate transport of injured person(s) as rapidly as possible injured person carrier(s) awaiting use may be equipped, in advance, with such medical devices.
Transport of injured persons to medical facilities may at times be over relatively smooth city streets and/or highways but may also be by helicopter or other medical transport aircraft through unpredictable air currents, military ambulance over rough terrain, or combinations of such transporters. The resulting ride could therefore be subject to unforeseen air currents or rapid aircraft movements that cause the aircraft to drop suddenly, make rapid and sharp turns and otherwise continue on its journey to transport the injured person(s) to a medical facility as quickly as possible. Such rapid transporter movements require any and all medical devices to be secured against reacting to the sudden change of movements and directions by flying off into space and within the transport vehicle and possibly further injuring the injured person or injuring persons who are assisting the injured person medically and/or flying or driving the transport.
Existing equipment and mechanisms for securing medical devices to injured person carriers may have to be kluged together to avoid unwanted reactions of the medical device(s) to unforeseen and unwanted and sudden movements of the injured person transport, or, if available, may be relatively complex in construction and use, and/or excessive in weight and cost. There is purported to be a device that has similar goals, however, that device mounts on the litter by bracing on both litter ‘poles’ and because of it's dimensional requirements and its need for multiple structural connection that device is much heavier and costs much more to make. It may even be considered to be dangerous to the person on the litter because the supported device is held over the person on the litter.